Demonstrators demand Buddhism be made Thai national religion
{{date|April 26, 2007}}

[[Thailand]]'s draft constitution has come under fire from [[w:Buddhism|Buddhist]] monks and supporters for not having a clause declaring a national religion for the country.  The coup-appointed Prime Minister, [[Surayud Chulanont]], noted that the issue could cause problems with the upcoming referendum to ratify the proposed constitution.

According to the [[w:Bangkok Post|Bangkok Post]] 20,000 protesters gathered outside the parliament building in [[w:Bangkok|Bangkok]], and a procession of nine elephants joined the protest with Senator Sawet Thinnakul riding one of them.

It would appear that the government has carefully worded the draft constitution to avoid favouring one religion over another.  Tensions and violence in the predominantly Malay Muslim south of the country have led to over 2,000 deaths; having a clause that recognised Buddhism as the country's official religion may further inflame tensions in the region.

== Sources ==
{{Wikipediapar|Buddhism}}
*{{source|url=http://www.bangkokpost.co.th/News/26Apr2007_news01.php
|title=Buddhist rally alarms Surayud
|author=Post Reporters
|pub=Bangkok Post
|date=April 26, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=29113
|title=First charter draft on road to democracy
|author=Thai News Agency
|pub=MCOT
|date=April 26, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=29107
|title=Buddhist rally continues, as first charter draft presented
|author=Thai News Agency
|pub=MCOT
|date=April 26, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6591519.stm
|title=Thai monks rally on religion call
|author=
|pub=BBC News Online
|date=April 26, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/04/26/headlines/headlines_30032752.php
|title=Religion protests worry Surayud
|author=Piyanart Srivalo, Atthayuth Butrsripoom
|pub=The Nation (Thailand)
|date=April 26, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=29091
|title=Buddhists gather to demand national religion status
|author=Thai News Agency
|pub=MCOT
|date=April 25, 2007}}

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[[Category:Asia]]
[[Category:Thailand]]
[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:Surayud Chulanont]]
[[Category:Buddhism]]
[[Category:Brian McNeil (Wikinewsie)]]
[[Category:Constitution of Thailand]]

[[fr:Thaïlande : des manifestants demandent que le bouddhisme soit déclaré religion nationale]]
Thailand's draft constitution has come under fire from Buddhist monks and supporters for not having a clause declaring a national religion for the country.  The coup-appointed Prime Minister, Surayud Chulanont, noted that the issue could cause problems with the upcoming referendum to ratify the proposed constitution.

According to the Bangkok Post 20,000 protesters gathered outside the parliament building in Bangkok, and a procession of nine elephants joined the protest with Senator Sawet Thinnakul riding one of them.

It would appear that the government has carefully worded the draft constitution to avoid favouring one religion over another.  Tensions and violence in the predominantly Malay Muslim south of the country have led to over 2,000 deaths; having a clause that recognised Buddhism as the country's official religion may further inflame tensions in the region.

fr:Thaïlande : des manifestants demandent que le bouddhisme soit déclaré religion nationale
Asia Thailand Politics and conflicts Surayud Chulanont Buddhism Brian McNeil (Wikinewsie) Constitution of Thailand